Christina Alyce Beauty

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I follow a few brands and private bloggers who post some awesome clean beauty swap suggestions on their social media, so I thought I'd join in with a few swaps of my own! This may end up being a series if it's well received, so let me know in the comments if there's a conventional product you've been trying to find a cleaner alternative for, and I'll gladly do a post about it! These 5 products are all ones I had experience with prior to my transition to green beauty, or that I know are incredibly popular, but just not very good for you! To shop the clean suggestions, just click on the product name! Some may be affiliate links, which help to keep my blog running.

The Body Shop's body butter is a massively popular item, but did you know it contains artificial colorants and fragrance, both of which have links to cancer, as well as a whole host of other ill-health effects? It also contains disodium EDTA which, while not inherently toxic itself, increases the absorption of other potentially dangerous ingredients. The Environmental Working Group warns that the surfactant PEG-100 Stearate has strong links to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, contamination concerns, irritation, and organ system toxicity. And, ingredients aside, do we really want to be supporting a company owned by L'Oreal, one of the biggest companies that still uses the barbaric practice of animal testing? I certainly don't. The Body Shop may claim to be cruelty free, but how can that be so if your profits are supporting the parent company's animal testing? There is a disconnect here, and this is where 100% Pure comes in. The whipped body butters from 100% Pure are completely naturally derived, with the first 5 ingredients consisting of natural butters, oils, and aloe. No water thinning out this formula or glycerine to give the illusion of hydrating, like in TBS's product. All ingredients are completely plant derived, down to the scent. And those scents! I linked above to the coconut scented body butter, but they carry everything from herbal scents like eucalyptus and lavender, citrus/fruity scents like lime,  and mangosteen, to sweet ones like vanilla and almond honey. See them all here, as well as their coordinating body washes, scrubs, and lotions! I also really love that 100% Pure always has great gifts with purchase and a fabulous rewards program. And of course, they are 100% cruelty free.

It's no secret that I used to be a major Lushie (hell, that's how this blog really got started after all!) but after some major skin irritation that I'm still healing from a year and a half later, I decided to do some research. What I found was a whole host of irritants like sulfates, artificial fragrance, and FD&C dyes. At least one of these ingredients is lurking in every. single. Lush. product. Yep, I checked. Even the fresh face masks contain fragrance in addition to the natural essential oils, wtf?! We know fragrance has links to cancer as stated above, but it's also a major skin irritant! Also, SLSA is known to be mildly irritating to the skin, and pollutes aquatic eco systems. Petroleum derived FD&C dyes have proven links to cancer [PDF].

If you don't mind a less colorful alternative to Twilight from Lush, (and after reading the risks above, I doubt you do!), moon body soul offers a wonderfully natural alternative, with a similar lavender vanilla scent. The are also working on naturally colored options, and have recently introduced a green citrus and cannabis moon ball called High Moon, and another called Blue Moon, scented with Jasmine and Blue Tansy. If you aren't into bath bombs, they also offer some wonderful bath soaks and body scrubs.

Urban Decay's Naked Palettes are easily one of the most popular eye shadow collections on the market today. Unfortunately, these shadows are packed with ingredients such as talc, which has been in the news a lot lately in regards to contamination with asbestos and multiple heavy metals, as well as a case involving Johnson & Jonson products accused of causing ovarian cancer. Another concerning ingredient is zinc stearate, which is harmful when inhaled. Multiple peer reviewed cases are cited here. There is also the hotly debated issue of parabens. Parabens are preservatives that have been shown to absorb and accumulate in the body, have effects on the endocrine system, and cause cell death. Sodium dehydroacetate is another ingredient of concern, with links to endocrine disruption, skin irritation, and developmental and reproductive toxicity. And of course, to get those colors they use FD&C dyes in many of the shades. 

For a natural line of product with near-identical shades that perform just as well (or even better), there really is no better choice than Silk Naturals. I previously wrote a post about their dupe for the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, and their Bare Necessities palettes are just as good. They carry perfect dupes for Urban Decay's Naked 1, 2, 3, Smoky, and Basics 1 & 2, and Ultimate Basics. I really hope they're planning to do a dupe for the Naked Heat palette next! All shadows are vegan, gluten free, and all natural.

Oh, St. Ives. How did such an awful product gain such enormous popularity? And I'm not even talking about the ingredients that have the potential to make you sick, just the fact that it's so ineffective at caring for the skin! The main pitch that St. Ives sells you is that they use walnut shells as an exfoliator. Natural, yes, but detrimental to the skin. Ground walnut shell is incredibly harsh on the skin, and creates micro tears that causes inflammation, which then leads to premature aging. Not to mention, they're marketing these harsh products as daily cleansers, when you should never exfoliate more than a few times a week maximum, no mater your skin type (most people's skin is happiest at one or two times weekly). People with blemished skin, which is whom the Blemish Control scrub is marketed to, really should not be using any type of physical scrub on their skin, because it will only further irritate the inflammation they are experiencing (in these cases, gentle enzymes and acids are your best friend). Along with these harsh granules, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Glyceryl Stearate, fragrance, and PEG-100 Stearate appear on the ingredient list too.

For a more gentle alternative, I always recommend Acure's pore clarifying facial scrub. They are on the more affordable end of green beauty, which I know is the draw of St. Ives. Of course, with quality natural ingredients, theres just no such thing as a $2 face scrub. But I promise your skin will thank you for the minor upgrade! Acure's Pore Clarifying facial scrub contains natural oils, clays, and antioxidants, as well as jojoba esters to gently exfoliate. 

This Covergirl Mascara has actually been discontinued, so for those disappointed they can no longer find it anymore may be happy to know there is a clean version that performs very similarly, and doesn't sell for $50+ a tube on eBay! Covergirl contained parabens, undisclosed synthetic wax, highly irritating Triethanolamine, multiple non-biodegradable polymers and propolyene glycol. 

W3LL People's mascara has the same lengthening effect on the lashes as Lash Blast, and doesnt clump or add excessive volume. it's the perfect natural looking daytime mascara. The ingredients list is refreshingly natural too, with a beeswax and caranuba wax base, and no irritants. Unlike Covergirl, W3LL PEOPLE does not test their ingredients or finished product on animals. It also comes in a variety of fun colors if want something a little different!